Chef gets a grilling.
Former Pittwater RSL Executive Chef John McFadden has been appointed National Business Development Manager at digital food safety company Squizify.
John has a long history in hospitality since starting work experience at the age of 12. He has cooked in the two-hatted Grand Fine Dining Room at The Windsor Hotel, at Hayman Island, Xu Bistro at the Hyatt Regency, as well holding the role of Executive Chef at Al Aseel restaurant group. He has also represented Good Drop Oils and is a familiar face in club kitchens. John has also been a food circuit judge, including the National Chairman of Judges for Chef of the Year at Food Service Australia and has assisted in the judging process for Bocuse d’Or to select the Australian Culinary team.
Club Management editor Grant Jones grilled John with this Q&A.
What can you bring to clubs which are contemplating introducing this tech to their kitchen?
Squizify will help improve a club’s food safety and operations compliance. Our solution enables clubs to capture accurate food safety data, automate temperate recording via our sensors, streamline label printing (removing manual day dot stickers), help with training via our bespoke video training library and ensure everything is in order through our inspections and auditing functionality. This all flows through to giving key people rich data insights so they can make better-informed decisions quicker to reduce their club’s risk while at the same time giving their customers an overall safe experience.
What are the savings?
This can help clubs to save on operating expenses while at the same time reducing risk for both the Club and their customers. The platform helps Clubs to automate multiple processes, saving time and minimizing waste.
Food safety inspections can be a nightmare for disorganised kitchen, how can software help?
Nobody likes a surprise visit from the health inspector! With digital checklists, you can create operational workflows to ensure the right tasks get done at the right time. Turn issues into actions that get fixed quickly and efficiently and with Squizify’s remote temperature monitoring, accurate records ensure food is always safe.
How can it be monitored, say for an exec chef across several venues?
Reputation is everything and ensuring all venues are protected is paramount. Squizify enables your brand, regardless of geographical location or indeed how many locations, to all be on the same page from an operational perspective. Squizify gives you real-time insight and analytics to adapt and change quickly while fixing small issues before they become big problems.
How can issues be resolved?
With real-time monitoring, you will receive alerts as soon as any area falls out of range, from fridge temperatures to incomplete tasks and sign-offs. Allowing you the ability to show identify accountability and address issues immediately.
How easy is it to use?
Squizify keeps things simple! The key to any system’s success is user adoption. Squizify is widely used across not just pubs and clubs but health care, aged care, QSR, caterers & convenience stores just to name a few. The major reason Squizify has had this mass adoption is largely put down to how easy the system is to use.
How safe is the network in the cloud?
There is no need to worry about the security of your business information. Squizify uses AWS for optimum security, performance and data scalability.
Where should food safety be on the priority list of a kitchen?
There’s no question… No. 1. Nothing will drive customers away faster from your brand is a negative food safety event or reputation. It’s been a challenging period for a lot of pubs and clubs so don’t let poor food safety be the reason to keep people away.
Can it be integrated with other systems such as order systems, etc.
Squizify integrates successfully into a number of different systems seamlessly. Not only this but system overload is a real problem for users and a club’s profitability. Squizify enables up to six different systems to be absorbed into one reducing staff frustration and streamlining costs.